CEA 2010 Nominees Announced

The Cincinnati Entertainment Awards (CEAs) for local theater ended with August’s final awards ceremony, but the CEAs for music are still going strong. The nominees for this year’s 14th annual event are in and you can vote now here. This year’s trophies will be given out on Nov. 21 at another sure-to-be legendary CEA party at the Madison Theater in Covington.

The 2010 class of CEA nominations features the usual mix of veteran artists and newer, up-and-coming acts.

In the Bluegrass category, this year’s nominees are Tadcasters, Comet Bluegrass Allstars, Rumpke Mountain Boys, Moonshine Drive and Mt. Pleasant String Band, while the Country category features the Dallas Moore Band, Pure Grain, Ridge Runner, Danny Frazier and Mack West and, in Americana/Folk/Roots, Tupelo Honey, Rubber Knife Gang, The Tillers, Jake Speed and the Freddies and Magnolia Mountain scored noms. Reggae/Ska ruled in World Music, with The Pinstripes, Super-Massive and The OhmsBaoku Moses and Lagniappe in the category. joining

For the Rock category, The Lions Rampant, The Guitars, Oxford Cotton, Sparrow BellowsBanderas are nominated, while the Metal/Hardcore category has Sabre, I am the Messenger, Beneath the Sky, Avignon and The Javelin Dance. In Punk, The Dopamines, The Frankl Project, Mad Anthony, Swear Jar and I Fail will duke it out for the trophy, while the Alternative/Indie category features State Song, The Sundresses, Wussy, Fists of Love and The Seedy Seeds. and

Up for Hip Hop honors this year are Crack Sauce, D-Maub, Beat Gang, Small Time CrooksBuggs Tha Rocka, while the Electronic category has You, You’re Awesome, The Skeetones, Kry Kids, No No Knots and Eat Sugar. and

Nominated this year for the “Best Musical Ambassador to the City” (honoring artists that have spread the good word about Cincinnati music) are Bootsy Collins, The National, Foxy Shazam, The Heartless Bastards and the recently reunited Greenhornes. And, for best live act, The Lions Rampant, The Sundressses, Buckra, The Pinstripes and Foxy Shazam garnered nods.

While those categories are voted on by the public, the three “Critical Achievement Awards” are chosen by the CEA nominating committee. In the “New Artist of the Year” category, Pop Empire, Fists of Love, No No Knots, Soapland, 20th Century Tokyo Princess, Oxford Cotton, UZI and The Skeetones are nominated. Many of those artists will perform at Nov. 13’s 10th annual BRINK New Music Showcase, which this year is moving to four venues in Northside and will be completely free (look for more details next week).

Competing for the “Album of the Year” honors are The Lions Rampant’s It’s Fun to Do Bad Things, State Song’s Dear Hearts & Gentle People, Magnolia Mountain’s Redbird Green, The Tillers’ By the Signs, Kim Taylor’s Little Miracle, Eat Sugar’s Levántense!, 500 Miles to Memphis’ We’ve Built Up to Nothing and Enlou’s Body of Friends, Body of Water.

Finally, for 2010’s CEA for “Artist of the Year,” The Lions Rampant, The Sundresses, State Song, The Seedy Seeds, Magnolia Mountain, Foxy Shazam, Wussy and The Tillers are nominated.

Congratulations and good luck to all the nominees. Now get out there and stump for votes!